


Endure to the very end

by DaZeli



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Hospitalization, M/M, Street fighting, money problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 09:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6046063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaZeli/pseuds/DaZeli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nursey knew Dex's budget was always thight.<br/>But he didn't expect it to be bad enough for Dex to put his life on the line to earn a few bucks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Endure to the very end

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a quote from Lailah Gifty Akita "Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind".  
> Thank you to [saquebecois](sadquebecois.tumblr.com/) for betaing this!

Dex was a fighter. Literally everyone knew that. It was hard not to get to this conclusion with a hot blooded person such as Dex; he always argued about everything and got angry over nothing. Really, he always looked like he was ready for a fight.

The first time Dex came to the Haus with a black eye, Nursey wasn’t surprised at all. Bitty had gasped in horror, of course, and taken care of Dex. He asked what had happened, and Dex shrugged, telling him he got into a fight, as Nursey had thought. With Dex, things like that were bound to happen one day or another.

So Nursey didn’t look too much into it at first. He had been expecting it for a while, and the fact that it actually took this long for Dex to get into a fight was what he was the most surprised about.

From that point, every few weeks Dex would come to the Haus beaten up, and Bitty would take care of him. Bitty worried and kept telling Dex he shouldn’t fight so much. Dex replied that these things just happened sometimes; that he shouldn’t worry and that he was used to it.

Nursey, at first, wasn’t worried in the least for Dex. It was his own fault if he couldn’t keep his mouth shut and always got into trouble.

But as they got closer, Nursey started to worry. Dex was his partner on the ice; if he was too beaten up to play, Nursey would have to play with someone else. Nursey didn’t want that. He liked to play with Dex. They had good chemistry, and he couldn’t see himself playing with anyone else.

The worst part was that he now paid attention to Dex, so he noticed all the bruises on his body and how sometimes he didn’t walk straight. Getting in so many fights wasn’t normal — surely he wasn’t always fighting the same people. What was he doing to get so beaten up? He wasn’t the only one to worry. The rest of the team were sure that one day they would find him dead in a ditch, so they created the Dex Prevention Brigade.

Unlike Nursey Patrol, which made sure Nursey didn’t do anything stupid while drunk, the Dex Prevention Brigade ensured Dex didn’t get into fights by never leaving him out of campus alone and by trying to tame him. Because Dex was, as Nursey called him, feral; they thought Dex always fought because he didn’t know better, and it was believable. Nursey had noticed the way Dex always looked like he was bracing for a fight that would never come when they argued and how he always looked ready to receive a punch to the face.

Surprisingly, the Dex Prevention Brigade actually worked. Somewhat. Dex didn’t get into as many scrapes. He managed to get into a few anyway, and they had no idea how he did it. They were watching over him almost constantly, and Chowder was following him everywhere. How he found a way to get into a fight without any of them there was a mystery.

Even with their slight success, the Dex Prevention Brigade died out just like the Nursey Patrol, everyone being too busy to actually watch over Dex.

That’s when things got bad; Dex got beaten up twice as much and came back to the Haus in bad shape even more often than before their intervention. Nursey was worried — everyone was. The team tried to talk him out of it, but they only made things worse; now Dex didn’t even tell them who he scrapped with and wouldn’t answer their questions about the fights themselves.

So they decided to let things go, hoping Dex would learn his lesson by himself, somehow.

-*-

One day in late spring semester, Nursey had gone out late to buy butter for Bitty at the murder Stop ‘n Shop. The sun was setting, so he wanted to make things fast, but before entering the store, he decided to call Dex to ask if he needed anything, like some snacks or Gatorade. Dex wasn’t answering, but Nursey heard a chime that sounded like Dex’s ringtone nearby. Maybe Bitty had asked him to buy butter, too?

Nursey followed the sound around the store. The closer he got, the louder he heard the ringtone, until he found Dex’s phone on the ground and Dex, laying on the ground a meter away and, worst of all, _he wasn’t moving_.

Nursey almost dropped his phone but quickly grasped it and called Bitty, panicking a little. There was blood everywhere on Dex’s face and his breathing was laboured. He clearly had a black eye, and he looked like he had fractured his skull. Bitty told him he would come right away and to call an ambulance as soon as they hung up.

Nursey did exactly what Bitty had told him to. The lady on the other end of the line told him to make sure Dex didn’t move and to watch his breathing. She said that the ambulance would be coming shortly. Nursey took Dex’s phone off the ground to make sure nobody would steal it.

He watched over Dex, and Bitty joined him soon enough, followed by Jack, Ransom and Holster. Shitty was apparently warning the coaches and Lardo. They hadn’t told Chowder, for obvious reasons.

They were all waiting for the ambulance, when suddenly, Dex opened his eyes. He didn’t look there at all though.

“Oh, my goodness. Dex, are you okay?” Bitty asked.

“Can you hear us?” Ransom asked.

Dex mumbled something of a response before he tried to move, but Nursey quickly held him down.

“Don’t move Dex, the ambulance his coming. Just — Don’t move, please,” Nursey said to him.

A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived and took Dex away. Bitty quickly bought his butter, and they went back to the Haus. They met with Shitty and Lardo who told them that the coaches had called Dex’s parents. They were going to come as soon as possible. Nursey still had Dex’s phone, and he looked at it. He was so glad he had followed Dex’s obnoxious ringtone, because who knew what would’ve happened… He hoped Dex was alright.

Bitty made them pies, waiting for the coaches to contact them. It was almost midnight when Lardo finally received a text saying that Dex’s parents were there. Dex would be able to get out tomorrow morning, but he was on mandatory rest because he had a concussion, a broken arm, some stitches, and broken ribs.

Well, at least the season was over already; the only thing Dex would have to worry about were his exams. But Nursey couldn’t help but wonder why Dex had been there in the first place? Who did he fight against? This wasn’t random lax bro fight damage. So who? And why?

As he was questioning himself over Dex, he didn’t quite follow the conversation the others were having. Shitty had decided to lend Dex his room so Bitty could take care of him. Shitty said he didn’t mind sleeping on the couch, not that he got much sleep in the first place because of his thesis. If he needed to, he would go sleep with Jack, who was ready to put up with him for the sake of Dex’s recovery.

They went to bed, Nursey deciding to take the couch, not feeling like going back to his dorm.

-*-

The next morning, Shitty showed up with Dex. Being the only one with a car, it was normal for him to pick him up from the hospital. Dex was a little high on painkillers, so he didn’t argue when they settled him in Shitty’s room. Bitty had made sure the sheets were clean and that he had enough pillows, but Dex was dirty; he hadn’t been showered at the hospital, and he was messy at best.

They drew him a bath so Dex could wash himself before putting him to bed. He fell asleep almost immediately as his head hit the pillows, probably because of the medicine. Dex mostly slept for the first few days of his convalescence; the painkillers he was taking being quite strong.

Nursey came every day to check up on him, but Dex was always sleeping. Nobody had been able to ask him what had happened.

Nursey still had Dex’s phone, and he wondered if maybe, just maybe, he would find something in there that could tell him what had happened. He opened it, unlocked the phone, because by now he knew Dex’s password, and check his last messages. Most of them were from the team, but a couple were from strangers. Nursey checked the most recent one and read the conversation.

[12:15 pm] **Stranger:** Yo Poindexter, 6pm at stop ‘n shop, against M.T. , think you can make it?

[12:15 pm] **Dex:** Yeah sure, how much?

[12:19 pm] **Stranger:** If you win, at least $500. People love to bet on M.T. and when he loses it brings in big $$$.

[12:20 pm] **Dex:** Fine, I’ll be there.

Everything suddenly made sense: the constant fighting, the bruises, the black eyes… Dex had been street fighting for money. Nursey felt a little bad for stepping into Dex’s private life like this. At the same time, this was crucial information, so he quickly went to the Haus to tell them.

When he told them, everyone was surprised, but they had to believe it because he had the proof. Jack was pissed, and Shitty had to hold him back so he wouldn’t go scold Dex on the spot. He did take Dex’s phone from Nursey, so he would probably scold him once he wasn’t high on pain medication.

Everyone sat in the kitchen in dead silence for a while, probably wondering why Dex would go fight for money, until Chowder, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up.

“Well, I guess he really wanted those skates,” he said.

“What?” Ransom asked.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to say it out loud!” Chowder replied.

“Chowder, please! If you know anything, tell us,” Bitty told him.

Chowder swallowed thickly before speaking.

“Well, we went to the mall last weekend because I needed to get a new pair of running shoes, and he kept looking at the skates, and I told him his were pretty old so he could buy new ones if he wanted. He said something about winning three times to be able to buy them. I didn’t get it — it wasn’t the first time he said something like that too, so I didn’t bother — but I think get it now…” Chowder told them.

“Dex was counting his fights like paychecks. Fuck!” Holster said.

“Chowder, do you remember any other time he said something like that for anything else?” Jack asked, serious.

“I remember one time we went to eat pizza, and he mentioned having to win one time to make up for it. I thought he was talking about games, not fighting!” Chowder said.

“Now that you mention it, Chowder, I remember one time I heard him mumbling about winning five times for his books or something,” Ransom said.

“Shit, so he’s been living off of this all this time? Fuck, what happened to his lobster boat!?” Shitty said.

“Everything is going toward paying his loans,” Nursey said. “He told me that once.”

“Fuck, we need to fix this! We can’t let him put his life in danger like that for a few hundred bucks!” Holster said.

“Why didn’t he pick up a part time job?” Bitty asked.

“Y’know, I wouldn’t have the time for a job if I wanted one,” Shitty said.

“It’s true. We have practice and everything. Where would he find the time for a job?” Ransom added.

“We have to find something else he can do,” Jack said.

Nursey had no idea what Dex could do, but he had one about something he could do. He left with Chowder and dragged him to the mall, Chowder had no idea what was going on but he gladly followed Nursey to the athletic supply store.

“Alright C, do you remember which pair of skates Dex was looking?” Nursey asked.

“Yeah, it was this pair!” Chowder said, pointing to the skates.

They were of good quality and a very well known brand. Judging by the price, Dex had probably wanted them but wouldn’t have bought them. Nursey wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the best, and these were some of the highest quality, the others being mostly for professional players.

He asked for Dex’s size and bought the skates. He even got the guarantee with them. He confirmed with the cashier he could return them if they weren’t the right size before leaving with Chowder and going back to his dorm.

Nursey waited for Dex to be off the painkillers to bring him the skates. He was still on bedrest, but at least he could stay awake and talk to them without being high all the time. Jack had yelled at him, and Bitty had tried to talk to him about quitting the whole fighting thing. When Nursey entered the room, Dex was alone and doing something on his laptop.

“If you came to chew me out, Jack already did it. Thanks for fucking searching through my phone. Glad to know I can count on my privacy,” Dex said, obviously in a foul mood.

“Listen, I know I shouldn’t have, but I was fucking worried about you, asshole. It was for your own good. Also, here,” Nursey said, giving him the box. “You won’t have to fight anymore.”

Dex frowned and opened the box. When he saw the skates, his face lit up like a kid’s on Christmas Day. Nursey had never seen that face on Dex, but he would be lying if he said it wasn’t adorable.

“Nursey… You didn’t — fuck, how did you know?” Dex asked.

“Chowder said something about you eyeing some new skates, so I went and bought them for you. You don’t need to fight anymore. I mean it’s not a permanent solution, but at least for now, you won’t need to; until we find an alternative,” Nursey told him.

“I… I can’t accept this! Nursey, I’m sorry I made you all worry, but I can’t let you buy me my fucking skates!” Dex said.

“Well, it’s a gift, so you can’t give it back. I’d buy you anything if it meant you’d stop putting your life on the line like this,” Nursey smirked.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to skate with anyone else, and I don’t want to wake up one morning and be told they found you dead somewhere. Whether you believe it or not, I fucking care about you. Finding you unconscious on the ground next to the murder Stop ‘n Shop was like a fucking living nightmare,” Nursey told him.

“...Thank you for caring, and the skates, and saving my life. I can’t promise anything right now. I still have my hospital bill to take care of, but I’ll try to find something else to earn money. I’ll pay you back for the skates, I promise,” Dex said, blushing.

“Dude, you don’t pay back gifts. I don’t want you to pay me back. Ever. I just want you to stop fighting — nothing else,” Nursey said as he went to hug him.

“Thank you,” Dex said, hugging back, before hissing because of his ribs.

“Oh right, your ribs. Sorry,” Nursey said.

“It’s okay,” Dex smiled.

It was maybe the second time in his life that Dex had directed a real, genuine smile at him, and Nursey felt his heart flutter. If this was what a happy Dex was like, he would make sure to make him happy. He’d buy him all the hockey equipment he wanted and whatever computer or book he needed.

Nursey smiled back before going back downstairs, where Bitty was baking. He suddenly had an idea.

“Bitty?” He asked.

“Yes, Nursey?” Bitty asked back.

“Would you consider selling your pies to pay off Dex’s hospital bill?” Nursey asked him, dead serious.

“Well, if I can make sure he doesn’t fight again, sure. I’ve baked so much in the past few days, Ransom and Holster couldn’t even eat half of them,” Bitty said.

“Perfect. I’ll ask Chowder if he wants to come with me. I’ll rent a table so we can sell them at the hall and—”

“Nursey, I don’t mean to pry, but why are you doing all this? I mean, you bought him skates, expensive ones at that, and now you want to pay for his hospital bill… Why? I get you want to help him, but you don’t have to do everything for him, y’know?” Bitty told him.

And that’s exactly when Nursey realized how important Dex was to him — how important it was to him that Dex was _happy_ . He liked Dex a lot more than as a friend, and that explained a lot: the poems with so many fiery images, the constant thought of Dex at the back of his mind, the gifts and the determination to make Dex happy. These weren’t things he’d do for any regular friend, but he did them for Dex because he _loved_ him, and he cared about him a lot more than a regular friend.

“That’s just what best friends do,” Nursey shrugged as he left the kitchen to go find Chowder.

-*-

Over the next few weeks, they sold Bitty’s pies and earned enough to pay off Dex’s medical bill. During the weeks, Nursey checked up on Dex and brought him his work, taking care of him. Nursey decided to only tell Dex once they had gotten the amount they needed. When he told Dex, he wasn’t expecting him to be on the verge of crying. Dex thanked him over and over as Nursey was hugging him close.

“My parents were so angry I ended up at the hospital, they didn’t want to pay for me. They didn’t have the money either, so I didn’t know how I was going to pay it off. For a second I thought I’d have to drop out or start fighting again, but — you went and sold pies to get me the money. I — I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to give it back to you. It might not seem like a big deal to you — but just the fact that you did this for me means a lot, and I — I never had anyone who cared so much about me. I’m just so happy —” Dex told him, trying to hold back his happy tears.

“I would buy you the moon if it meant you’d never fight again, Dex. I don’t want to see you like I did that day ever again. I’ll make sure you never have to fight again, even if it means I have to pay for your books or your equipment or even your student loans. I want to see you on the ice with me, not in a hospital bed,” Nursey replied.

Dex cried a little on Nursey’s shoulders, thanking him again and again. In this whole ordeal, Nursey had understood that Dex never fought because he wanted to but because he had too. Dex may have liked to act tough, but he had a very soft heart and he cared a lot. Nursey had decided Dex would never have to fight again. He would protect Dex if he had to.

He held Dex until he calmed down, and they looked at each other for a brief moment; Dex was smiling, and his eyes were full of tears still. Their faces were close, and Nursey only wanted to kiss him, but he didn’t do it. As he was going to get up, Dex grabbed him and pulled him down for a kiss. Nursey didn’t reply at first, too surprised to do anything, but he eventually kissed back.

When they pulled away, Dex was looking at him, smiling. Nursey was confused, he had always thought Dex was straight, but if so, what did this mean?

“I’m sorry for telling you this way, but after all you did for me, I think you deserve to know that I was never straight. I’m gay, and I always was. I… I like you a lot, Nursey. I have for a long time too,” Dex said, blushing.

Well, that explained a lot.

“I like you too, Dex. Probably for just as long, if not longer. I only realized I did a few weeks ago. I thought I had no chance, so I didn’t tell you, but I’m glad I was wrong,” Nursey told him.

They kissed again, and this time, they only stopped when they had to break for air. Nursey cupped Dex’s face with one hand, and Dex leaned into the touch, smiling.

“Tell me if you need anything or if you’re tight on budget. I’ll always be there to help, even more now that I’m your boyfriend,” Nursey told him.

“Boyfriends… I like the words you say sometimes Nurse; that one has to be my favorite,” Dex smiled.

“Yeah, it’s mine too,” Nursey smiled back.

They kissed again until Nursey really had to leave.

-*-

During the next few weeks, Dex was able to move back into his dorm, since he was now able to go up and about without hurting himself. Nursey still insisted on escorting him, and even if he didn’t really need it, Dex let him do it. They hadn’t decided to tell everyone they were dating. They more or less agreed to just do their thing and not deny if people noticed.

Of course, it didn’t take that long for the others to know, Nursey being the romantic sap he was. It all happened one day when Dex was working at the Haus table on a final computer science assignment. Nursey decided he was feeling affectionate.

“Hi, babe,” he had said to Dex, placing a hand on his shoulder and bowing to level his face to his.

“Good afternoon,” Dex had replied, turning his head and giving Nursey a quick peck.

They started talking to each other, Nursey nuzzling Dex’s temple and Dex giggling whenever he kissed him, without noticing how the room fell silent.

“OH MY FUCKING GOD, WHAT!?” Holster exclaimed once the realisation had sunken in.

“DUDE, THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING!” Ransom added, just as shocked as Holster.

“Oh, my God! Oh, my God, guys!!!” Chowder said, almost vibrating in his seat.

“I am SO FUCKING PROUD of both of you!” Shitty told them.

Nursey raised a brow, and Dex started to laugh.

“I had totally forgotten that we didn’t tell them we were dating,” Dex said, laughing.

“Well, consider that done,” Nursey said to him

“Congratulations. I’m so glad — you guys look so happy together,” Bitty said, one hand over his heart. Jack nodded at that statement.

“KISS KISS KISS KISS,” Ransom and Holster chanted.

They kissed, and at that moment, Nursey swore he had never seen Dex this happy in his entire life.


End file.
